windows

Microsoft says it is rethinking the way the Start Menu will work in Windows 8. It's partly a response to user behavior and partly a recognition that more people will be using touchscreen devices in the future. By default, the Start Menu appears on ... the left-hand side of the screen, either when the user clicks the Windows logo in the bottom left corner, or presses the dedicated Windows key on their keyboard. Fewer Users Use Start Menu, Says Microsoft The Start Menu menu serves several functions by listing recently used applications, commonly used applications, a complete list of all ... (view more)

Microsoft is planning to introduce a rule by which most Windows 8 computers will be unable to run any other system. It should improve security, but could be bad news for users that prefer to have more than one operating system installed on their ... PCs. The new rules will apply to computer manufacturers who want to use the official Windows 8 logo on the machine and in marketing. It's perfectly possible to sell legitimate Windows 8 computers without the logo, but the chances are most major manufacturers will follow the rules. (Source: dreamwidth.org ) Operating System Guarded by Identification ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that the default settings for Windows 8 won't support web plug-ins such as Adobe Flash. However, unlike Apple's portable devices, such systems won't be completely blocked. iPhone, iPad Don't Use Adobe Flash Devices such as the ... iPhone and iPad currently do not include support for Flash, which is used for a wide variety of website animations and online video. The reason why these devices don't support Flash is simply because Flash is too prone to bugs and uses too much memory to be suitable for Apple devices, particularly given the company's obsession with providing a ... (view more)

It's likely to be months, if not more than a year, before Windows 8 goes on sale to the general public. But according to Microsoft, a preview copy of the system has already had more than 500,000 downloads. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been making ... several public appearances this week to coincide with the formal public unveiling of the new system at BUILD, Microsoft's conference for hardware and software developers. Ballmer said that although there's a lot of work to do, the core of the system is finished. He said one of the main goals was to make sure that Microsoft's other services -- such ... (view more)

After months of waiting, developers have finally got their first peek at Microsoft's next operating system (OS), Windows 8. The major difference between Windows 8 and any other version of Windows, for that matter, is that it embraces tablet ... computing and tablet technology from the ground up. The demonstration came Tuesday during Microsoft's first BUILD developers conference in Anaheim, California (the show runs until September 16). About 5,000 developers are expected to attend the event. (Source: pcworld.com ) Sinofsky: Windows 8 is "Reimagined" According to Microsoft Windows ... (view more)

It may be another year before Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS) officially hits retailers, but that doesn't mean hardware companies aren't already using it for new devices. In fact, it's expected that Samsung will unveil a new ... tablet PC running Windows 8 at the Microsoft BUILD conference this week. BUILD is a developers conference being held by Microsoft for the first time this fall. The conference will be held in Anaheim, California from September 13-16. Attendees May Receive Free Copies of Tablet Now, everyone expected that Windows 8 would be a hot topic at the event, but ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will allow users to create multiple virtual machines on a single computer. It's a feature that's previously only been available on Microsoft's server version of Windows. The tool, which is referred to as ... Microsoft's "Hyper-V," allows users to make virtual copies of PCs -- all within 1 PC (hence, it's "virtualized"). Virtualization, more importantly, addresses major security issues in that it separates the host hardware (your computer) from the operating system (Windows) and the applications which run within Windows. Run 5, 10, 5,000 ... (view more)

There are reports that Microsoft is about to hand out an ultra-portable computer running Windows 8 and containing a quad-core processor. If true, it could serve as a very effective way of promoting the new system on portable devices. The rumors ... center on BUILD, a Microsoft event that takes place in California in September designed to help both hardware and software developers work better with Windows. The event also serves as a source of feedback for Microsoft about how it could improve the operating system (OS), including those still in development. This year's event is going to be built ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8 will include support for a smartphone-like "app store". But it's not yet clear what the implications will be for app developers. The app store is simply a central marketplace through which users can purchase ... software and then have it automatically installed on a device like a PC. The term app store was made popular on smartphones, most notably the Apple iPhone. (Source: sfgate.com ) Although leaked screenshots of Windows 8 suggested such a feature was on the way, Microsoft has now all but made that certain. It's published a list of the teams it has ... (view more)

Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday will be relatively moderate, though it does address 22 flaws. According to Microsoft, 13 of the patches addressed in August Patch Tuesday will address 22 flaws in a number of different programs, including Windows, ... Internet Explorer (IE), Visio and Visual Studio. Compared to last month's Patch Tuesday , the one set for release next Tuesday (August 9th) is only slightly larger: there are more patches offered, but the number of vulnerabilities remains the same. The number of fixes released this month is somewhat unusual as historically, Microsoft doles out fixes ... (view more)